PCJ – Chapter 33 Being angry

“Ah, Baobao.” Zhang Jiaohua’s aunt, Zhao Lanying, frowned when she saw Baobao approaching Zhang Jiaohua.

“Mother…” Liu Xi reluctantly released Zhang Jiaohua’s hand and walked to Zhao Lanying’s side.

Zhao Lanying smiled awkwardly, “Xizi has caught a cold these past few days, and I’m afraid he might infect Jiaohua.”

What was a happy and cheerful family suddenly fell into an icy atmosphere. Zhang Youping and Liu Qiaoye’s expressions changed instantly. Liu Tongmao and Liu Biao looked embarrassed. Zhang Jiaohua also sensed something was amiss.

Zhang Jiaohua’s grandmother, Luo Dongzhen, walked over. “Youping, Qiaoye, come help me with something in the kitchen. There’s a lot to do, and I can’t handle it alone.”

Although Zhang Youping and Liu Qiaoye were angry, they couldn’t erupt on the spot. After all, Liu Biao and they had always been diligent.

“Jiaohua, Xizi is sick. Go play by yourself. There are some treats here for you from the guests. Have them by yourself.” Liu Tongmao walked into the room, grabbed a handful of candies from somewhere, and stuffed them into Zhang Jiaohua’s hand.

Zhang Jiaohua didn’t know if Liu Xi was actually sick, but since he wasn’t allowed to play with him, he decided not to bother. He was used to playing alone anyway.

Liu Qiaoye went into the kitchen, tears streaming down her face. “Mother, what’s wrong with Lanying? It’s bad enough that others look down on our Jiaohua, but to treat him like this within the family. If this is how it’s going to be, I won’t come back to this family anymore.”

“You’re just being impulsive, my child. Have your parents ever treated you unfairly? Has your brother? You know who Lanying is. Don’t stoop to her level. By the way, how’s Jiaohua’s situation now? Can he still see those unclean things?” Luo Dongzhen comforted her daughter.

“I haven’t heard Jiaohua mention it lately. He just says he’s learning magic with an old Daoist every night. Mother, isn’t it strange? If it weren’t for Jiaohua sounding so convincing every time, I’d think the kid was lying to me. Even if he is lying, how can a child come up with such convincing stories?” Liu Qiaoye poured out many of the thoughts buried in her heart since returning to her mother’s house.

Luo Dongzhen became interested. “This is strange. Tell me more.”

Liu Qiaoye recounted in detail the situation during the time when Zhang Jiaohua dreamed of apprenticing to the time he became an apprentice.

Luo Dongzhen was puzzled. “This is very strange. Jiaohua couldn’t make this up. How could a child like him know about these things? Wait a moment, let me call your father in.”

Soon, Liu Tongmao entered the kitchen. After hearing Luo Dongzhen’s vivid description, he also marveled, “Could it be some immortal guiding him in his dreams? This could be a good thing. Think about it, since Jiaohua became an apprentice, he hasn’t seen those unclean things anymore. It shows that the master he apprenticed to might be truly remarkable.”

Liu Qiaoye, Zhang Youping, and Luo Dongzhen also showed delight.

“Just let this matter unfold naturally, don’t interfere. I’ve always said that my grandson is a blessed one. How could he be troubled by unclean things? It turns out he’s under the protection of immortals.” Liu Tongmao laughed heartily.

Liu Biao felt extremely embarrassed by his wife’s actions. Having such a sister, who had finally returned to celebrate his birthday, only to be embarrassed like this by his own wife, made Liu Biao furious. He dragged his wife into the inner room and angrily said, “Lanying, are you out of your mind? In front of so many people, you won’t let Baobao play with Jiaohua. What do you mean by this?”

Liu Biao pointed at Zhao Lanying with his finger, “Let me tell you, Jiaohua is my only nephew. I can’t control how others treat him, but in our family, he mustn’t be mistreated. Listen to me carefully, if you pull any more tricks, I’ll give you a beating!”

Zhao Lanying’s face twitched, muttering quietly, “I’m doing this for Baobao’s own good, you know?”

Liu Biao pointed at his wife again, without saying a word.

Only then did Zhao Lanying shut her mouth. She could tell that the man was genuinely angry. Nowadays, men beating their wife was commonplace. Zhao Lanying didn’t dare to take that risk.

Candies and such held little attraction for Zhang Jiaohua compared to those adorable little puppies. Zhang Jiaohua’s eyes were fixed on the three cute little puppies, but unfortunately, the host dog seemed to sense the covetous glances and didn’t leave the puppies’ side all day. Zhang Jiaohua’s plan to seize the opportunity when the host dog left and hug the puppies remained unfulfilled. Although Zhang Jiaohua was only a few years old, coming from a rural background, he already understood that you shouldn’t mess with a mother dog and her puppies.

Every time someone caught a puppy and made it scream, Xiao Hui would immediately rush out aggressively, fur bristling, ready to attack at any moment. The momentum was enough to make people’s hearts pound.

Usually, when Liu Qiaoye visited her parents’ home, she would stay overnight at least. After all, it wasn’t easy to make such a long journey. But on this day, because of Zhao Lanying, things turned unpleasant. After dinner, Liu Qiaoye discussed with her husband and hastily decided to return home. Luo Dongzhen, although reluctant to see her daughter leave so soon, understood the reason for her daughter’s haste.

Liu Tongmao knew they couldn’t stay, so he sighed, “Jiaohua has always wanted one of our puppies. I’ll put Xiao Hui in the house and let Jiaohua choose one to take home.”

The three little puppies were all fluffy and extremely adorable. For Zhang Jiaohua, this mischievous kid, they were irresistibly tempting. Choosing one proved to be a difficult decision for him. In the end, he picked the biggest one, a toothed dog. Surprisingly, it didn’t make a sound when Zhang Jiaohua held it.

Liu Tongmao kept saying, “This dog is truly destined to be with Jiaohua. Look, it doesn’t even bark.”

Actually, Liu Tongmao didn’t know that the Daoist Master usually traveled around the countryside for incense burning and naturally had to deal with village dogs. If he couldn’t handle a few local dogs, how could he manage the incense burning? The Daoist Master had a special trick to deal with domestic dogs, which Zhang Jiaohua naturally learned from the old Daoist. With just a few simple moves, he could easily tame even the wildest village dogs, let alone a bunch of little puppies who hadn’t even been weaned yet?

In Zhang Jiaohua’s hands, the little puppy looked at him with blank eyes, gradually getting used to the smell on Zhang Jiaohua’s body.